


Cinders in a Late Night, Burning Bright

by The_Mouse_of_Anon



Series: The Cinderpulse-verse [2]
Category: DC Animated Universe, DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Awkward late night conversations, Day 2: AU's, Hey look it's a Cinderpulse sequel!, Jaime getting an idea of how Bart and Khaji Da may be bad influences on each other, Jaime's guard is devious as hell, Khaji Da does not care about your modesty, Multi, Yet even more of Khaji Da's awkward-as-hell commentary!, bluepulse week 2016, maybe you should knock next time Bart, save him, the kingdom of TEXAS!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 18:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8220656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Mouse_of_Anon/pseuds/The_Mouse_of_Anon
Summary: Prince Jaime has been gradually been getting used to having his betrothed– one Bart Allen– around the castle. However, after a long day Jaime’s night doesn’t go nearly as quietly as he would hope. What’s a scandalous late-night visit and a scarab saying increasingly awkward things compared to getting to know your fiance(s) better?((Written for Day 2 of Bluepulse Week 2016.))





	

Jaime hadn’t really known how things would change when he’d chosen his betrothed. True, he had the stories he’d heard from his parents, but it wasn’t really comparable— partly because they had been betrothed at a far younger age than Jaime had been (without having been given a choice over who they would get married _to_ ), and partly because… well… their circumstances hadn’t been quite so _weird_. Sharing his body with Khaji Da was bizarre enough, but the fact Bart had superspeed and could eat more than should be humanly possible kind of sealed the fact that Jaime was not going to have a normal relationship by any stretch of the imagination.

Having Bart living in the palace with them was pleasant enough (who the hell was Jaime kidding? He _loved_ having Bart’s company), but that didn’t silence the occasional scandalized whispers. And Khaji Da’s occasional ‘recommendations’ did nothing to help. Jaime did not want to have to try to explain why some crazy ‘demon’ had gone on a rampage through the palace, specifically targeting anyone who had said anything negative about Bart. Not that Jaime could fault Khaji Da for his protective streak when it came to those he cared about, but he didn’t really seem to have a reasonable grasp on the concept of going ‘overboard’.

As for Bart… in some ways Jaime had the sneaking suspicion that whenever Bart and Khaji Da started talking to each other, _really_ talking to each other, that the two of them together would be a menace. It wasn’t that Bart was going out of his way to make others uncomfortable or scandalize them to the point where half the country would demand that Jaime choose someone else, but… well… he kind of… didn’t care what a lot of other people thought. Which was why he’d just gone ahead and sneaked into Jaime’s rooms even though it was late at night.

Yeah, Jaime had been awake (so okay, it wasn’t that late, only about 8:00 at night), but since it was the middle of September it was pretty dark; and the fact that Jaime had only had his various oil lamps lit had only served to increase the sense that it was late. It wasn’t that Jaime didn’t have any electric lights in his rooms— they, like the rest of the palace, were outfitted with the latest in electrical engineering (that Khaji Da routinely scoffed at)— but he found that when it got too dark, electric light was harsh enough to his eyes that it tended to give him headaches. So as a result the lighting was dim but plenty bright enough for him to see by. Especially if Khaji Da enhanced his night vision (which wasn’t all that uncommon).

Since it was only about 8:00— [ _It is 8:10:32 PM precisely Jaime Reyes._ ]— it wouldn’t have been too bad for Bart to sneak into Jaime’s rooms, but he hadn’t been counting on having any visitors. He certainly hadn’t been counting on having anyone drop by who wouldn’t knock first. So, since he’d had a long day of studying and going through combat-training (Ángel’s idea, and his aches had aches), he’d felt soaking in a hot bath for a while was warranted. Ángel had set up the bath (the only one who remotely matched their level of paranoia when it came to Jaime’s safety was Khaji Da), had set up the privacy screen, and then retreated to give him space. Jaime had been soaking only for a few minutes when Bart had come in. How in the world Bart got in past Ángel was absolutely _baffling_. At least Bart had the sense to see the screen, hear the water, and just park himself on the other side rather than going around the screen.

Jaime was hoping no one else other than Ángel was going to find out about this incident, because betrothed or no he _knew_ just how scandalous it would be seen as by others. If they weren’t betrothed it wouldn’t be as much of an issue. If they were already married it wouldn’t _be_ an issue. But the fact that they were intended to be wed, weren’t married yet, and that one of them had sneaked into the other’s _rooms_ while it was _late_ and said individual was _naked in the tub_ … well… To say that it would have given the advisers to the King and Queen panic attacks would have been an understatement. Damage control would be borderline impossible.

“Jaime?” Bart said quietly.

“ _Sí_?”

“…Sorry about sneaking in. I mean, if I had known you were… I wouldn’t have…”

Jaime sighed as he shifted, the water gently slapping against the walls of the tub in response. “It’s okay. Not as bad as it could have been, you know?”

“Still… It’s kind of…”

“You’re here. It’s already done. I mean, it could have been a lot worse. Someone could have—”

[ _No one is near to have seen the Bart Allen enter aside from the Ángel Hárvarðr,_ ] Khaji Da put in, prompting a sigh of relief from Jaime.

“—Thanks Khaji Da,” Jaime said aloud. Without Bart actually being able to _see_ him, he figured it was only polite to let him have _some_ way to know when Khaji Da chimed in. Jaime listening to Khaji Da wasn’t exactly an audible thing.

Bart was silent for a moment, though Jaime could tell he was fidgeting thanks to his shadow on the privacy screen, trying to act as if he was disinterested. Since Jaime had come clean about Khaji Da, Bart had been getting used to their silent communication or how Jaime would occasionally drop off in mid-sentence when he didn’t have to worry about keeping up appearances; and often when it was just them (or just them and Ángel) Jaime would relay Khaji Da’s commentary to Bart. It was an odd relationship, but it hadn’t taken long for Khaji Da’s opinion to become important to Bart— and that was a fact Jaime was fully aware of. Finally Bart asked, “What did he say?”

“He said that the only one who could have seen you sneak in is Ángel. So we don’t have to worry about panicking over people finding out.”

“Crash,” Bart said, his tone clearly relieved. He might not care what others thought of _him_ , but when it came to Jaime he was a lot more concerned. (Although considering the talk Ángel had had with him about _why_ certain levels of formality were necessary, that wasn’t all that surprising.) “I was kind of worried about that. I mean, I don’t exactly know _how_ people would have freaked out. I just know they would have freaked.”

[ _Tell the Bart Allen that I would disturb them more than he is capable of._ ]

[ _…You know, sometimes I wonder if you have a crush on him._ ]

[ _He is your future-mate. It is pointless to view him negatively. It would only cause problems._ ]

[ _Uh huh. Right. Which is why you have no problem with Cassie._ ]

[ _...The Amazon has nothing to do with this conversation,_ ] Khaji Da said, giving an audible irate click that even Bart could hear. [ _Tell the Bart Allen what I said. Or I will._ ]

Jaime gave an annoyed sigh and muttered, “You’re always so pushy.” Bart made an inquiring sound, and rather than risk Khaji Da seizing control and saying something horrendously awkward Jaime chose to relay the scarab’s commentary. “He told me to tell you that he’d freak people out more than you ever could. I think he meant it to be reassuring.”

Bart couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled forth. True, he was uncertain about his place in the castle or with the royal family at times, but at least Khaji Da and Jaime always made him feel welcome. “Well yeah, I think a ‘demon’ would freak out most people. Bad reputation and all that.”

“That’s an understatement,” Jaime agreed, memories of Khaji Da’s ‘recommendations’ for annihilating everyone in the early days of their fusing playing through his mind. “He’s not that bad though. Just pushy and irritable.”

[ _I am ‘pushy’ because it is justified._ ]

“You thought Bart’s step-sisters were cannibals,” he retorted.

Bart sputtered and then immediately started _laughing_. “Khaji Da thought Alanna and Elena were _cannibals_?! Ohhhh, that’s _too_ good! I mean, yeah, they’re both greedy-as-hell harpies, but the idea that they’d _eat_ someone is a new one!”

Jaime shrugged, though he knew Bart couldn’t see it. “Khaji Da is hyper-protective. He’s toned down a lot over the years, but when he doesn’t like someone… he can be kind of unreasonable.”

“Well he likes me, right?” Bart asked, laughter still in his tone.

[ _Affirmative,_ ] Khaji Da agreed, suffusing Jaime with a pleased warmth.

[ _And we’re back to you having a crush on him._ ]

[ _…You are going to marry the Bart Allen. I am fused to you. It is only logical that you would choose a future-mate whose presence I am comfortable with. Therefore, it would not make sense if I was hostile to him. You were given a choice and you chose well. Had you not made a choice in time,_ then _the experience may have resulted in more negative consequences._ ]

[ _Whatever. You have a crush on him. Just admit it._ ]

[ _…The Jaime Reyes should not be commenting on things or projecting his own feelings onto the Khaji Da when the Jaime Reyes is not ready to admit to those things aloud about himself. Recommendation: ‘shut your face’._ ]

Jaime snorted in laughter. Khaji Da rarely quoted Milagro or used her choice in phrases, so when it happened it tended to be either ridiculous or downright hilarious. “He likes you. We might disagree over how much he likes you, but he likes you.”

“Do I even want to know what that was about?” Bart asked in regards to their brief silence.

“Just a small argument over how much he likes you-”

[ _Jaime Reyes…_ ]

“-and him pretty much telling me to shut up.” Bart started laughing again.

It took a minute or two, but after Bart finally stopped cackling they fell into a comfortable silence with only the sound of the water to break it. After a while Bart asked, “So you and Khaji Da are life-long, huh?”

“Yeah, but I’m okay with that,” Jaime answered. “In the early days it was a little different, because he was pretty paranoid and violently over-protective, but he’s mellowed out a lot.”

“…You mean his saying that Elena and Alanna are ‘cannibals’ and his suggestion last week that they should be fired out of a cannon into a brick wall— which I kind of agree with— are ‘mellow’ for him?” Bart’s tone was a healthy mix of amusement and confusion.

“Welcome to my world,” Jaime laughed. “For him, that’s all really mellow. In the early days… In the early days he wouldn’t have stopped at the suggestion to fire them out of a cannon. He would have come up with a _list_.”

“…I’m going to marry probably the two weirdest people in the entire kingdom. Aside from me. And Eddie. Eddie’s pretty weird. Whatever, the point is I’m not marrying anyone ‘normal’.” 

Even without glancing over to see Bart’s shadow making the motion on the privacy screen, Jaime could _hear_ the air-quotes around ‘normal.’ He had a feeling that might have come from a place similar to what Jaime had experienced— hearing far too many people harp on about what was ‘normal’ while knowing even though those people didn’t know it, he was anything _but_ ‘normal’ as they were defining it.

And then there was the fact that Khaji Da was smug and practically _preening_ because Bart had included him in the mix.

[ _Try to deny it all you want, but I swear you’ve got the_ biggest _crush on him._ ]

[ _Why should I not be pleased that the Bart Allen recognizes that I am here?_ ] Khaji Da retorted. [ _He is your future-mate. Which means eventually there will be increased intimacy. If he tried to ignore my existence when he becomes more emotionally involved with you then that would be rude. As you have reminded me on multiple occasions, I am not a ‘piece of furniture’ and if he were to treat me as such that would mean you would be a vir-_ ]

“ _Ay dios mio, Khaji Da! Silencio por favor!_ Could you _not_?!” Jaime squawked as he almost involuntarily sat bolt-upright and glanced back over his shoulder at the scarab (or at least tried to). “That was just… Don’t _say_ things like that!”

A thoughtful drumming of electrical pulses fired off around Jaime’s spine as Khaji Da considered before eventually saying, [ _But it is the truth. You would be a virgin for life._ ]

Jaime facepalmed with a groan. “When you say things like that, I really regret having encouraged you to be more social with the people you like.”

“…Dooo I even _want_ to know?” Bart asked hesitantly.

“No… It’s just… He really doesn’t care about saying awkward things. And one of these days he’s going to say something horrendously awkward when I’m _drinking_ or _eating_ and he’s going to _kill me_.” Some of his tone was clearly directed at Khaji Da.

[ _Negative. I would not allow something like that to kill you. It would be dislodged._ ] The mental image Khaji Da conveyed along with that statement made Jaime just want to bury himself in a hole or start banging his head against a wall.

Instead he settled for making a disgusted noise. [ _I swear that if you show me an image involving tentacles like that again I’m going to get Milagro to sing at you._ For an hour.]

Khaji Da gave an annoyed click and (not without some humor) said, [ _How dare you suggest that blasphemy?_ ]

“Khaji Da, you making me want to _die_ is blasphemy.”

Bart snorted. “I’m marrying a prince and what sounds like one of the sassiest people alive.”

Jaime paused at that, hesitated, then decided ‘to hell with it’ and asked the question that had surged forward in his mind. “…You’re sure you want to marry me?” His uncertainty about that point was getting the better of him again. He knew that Bart had said time and time again that he didn’t mind that Jaime and Khaji Da were a package deal, but he couldn’t help but have his doubts. It was that issue of knowing that he and Khaji Da in combination were not ‘normal,’ and that most others would never feel comfortable marrying _two_ people. He knew at this point that it was a ridiculous concern, but it was still there nonetheless. “That me being fused with Khaji Da isn’t going to be a problem?”

“Are you kidding? Listening to you two go back and forth? This is hilarious.”

“Oh no,” Jaime groaned. He could feel Khaji Da’s smug satisfaction in waves. The scarab was _entirely_ too pleased with the fact that Bart shared his sense of humor. “Please tell me the two of you aren’t going to cause an international incident at some point.”

“I can’t speak for Khaji Da, but I’ll do my best to avoid being the cause for anyone declaring open war on you. Or Texas. Whichever comes first,” Bart teased.

[ _...An ‘international incident’ would be counterproductive. Assessment: only acceptable if it is worth it. Conclusion: I will not start anything if no one else does._ ]

Jaime shook his head and went to get out of the tub. There was no point in trying to continue his relaxing soak when it really wasn’t all that relaxing anymore. He didn’t know if he’d say he was ‘engaged’ to Khaji Da the way he was engaged to Bart, but the fact stood that he was probably going to spend the rest of his life with _both_ of them. And even without them talking to each other directly they were each adding fuel to the fire for the other. There just was no point in trying to continue to relax when they were both being ridiculous.

As he toweled off and went to pull on his underwear and pajama pants he said, “Sometimes I get the feeling that if Khaji Da had his own body I’d be trying to keep the two of you out of trouble a lot of the time.”

“I’m sure we wouldn’t be that bad…,” Bart grinned. “Much.” Jaime could swear Khaji Da was as close to cackling as he was ever likely to get.

“No international incidents,” Jaime insisted. “No getting into fights with Cassie. No getting into brawls. No _stuffing anyone into a cannon Khaji Da._ If the two of you can stick to that, I think we’ll be okay.”

“What about stuffing them into a cabinet? Would stuffing the three of them into a cabinet be okay?” Bart mused playfully.

Khaji Da gave a rather audible and thoroughly amused chitter. [ _Inform the Bart Allen that I approve._ ]

“…You’re both trouble,” Jaime said as he shrugged on his robe. He didn’t want to admit that he was amused by their antics, but he had a feeling they both knew. “And Khaji Da says he approves.” He came around the edge of the privacy screen as he tied the robe’s belt, only to be greeted by a thoroughly amused look from Bart.

“Good to know I’m in good company,” Bart teased, beaming up at Jaime from where he sat on the floor. 

Jaime shook his head, but he couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed at either of them. He didn’t know if he’d go so far as to say that Bart and Khaji Da were so ‘lovable’ that it was difficult to be annoyed, but he could at least admit to himself that he found them both more entertaining than they probably should be. He casually helped Bart to his feet— though he knew the speedster didn’t really need it— and said, “ _Muy terrible._ Both of you. I’m going to end up crowned King and I’ll have the both of you whispering terrible things in my ear and I’m going to have to try to not laugh at inappropriate moments. You two are going to get me in trouble for the rest of my life.”

Bart laughed (which was accompanied by another amused chitter from Khaji Da) and said, “If you think it’s hilarious then I’d say there isn’t much to complain about. Though that _does_ raise the question… If you’re going to be King, what does that make me?”

“Prince-consort,” Jaime answered easily.

“Not just ‘prince’?”

“That would imply that you were my _son_.”

“…Okay. Gross.” Bart considered for a moment before a sly look crept onto his face. “What would that make Khaji Da?”

Jaime honestly had no clue how to answer that one, so instead he settled for, “Most people aren’t going to ever know he exists.”

“C’mon Jaime. Humor me,” Bart said, his eyes locked on Jaime in a way that made the prince’s heart skip a beat. “I’m going to marry a prince and a bug, so I’d like to know what to technically call them. You know. In case I have to be all grossly formal.”

Jaime felt awkward, but not in a bad way. It was more along the lines of noticing (again) that Bart had really pretty eyes, and if he was going to get married to anyone he was lucky it was Bart. Brushing that thought aside, he turned his focus to Bart’s question. What _would_ Khaji Da’s formal title be? It wasn’t something Jaime had considered before.

Fortunately Khaji Da felt like chiming in. [ _Multiple possibilities. Most likely— if assessed to be on equal standing with the Bart Allen— Prinze-consort._ ]

Jaime frowned and glanced back over his shoulder. “‘Prinze’?” he echoed.

[ _Affirmative._ ]

“You didn’t think to tell me that you’re not a guy until _now_?” Bart’s eyebrows shot up.

[ _Gender is a flawed concept. Point: there is none. Fact: I do not care how I am referred to if it is not offensive. Assessment: ‘Prinze’ is the most likely term others would apply to me as a result. Assessment: ‘Prinze’ is acceptable._ ]

Jaime rolled his eyes. “You still could have told me sooner.”

“So wait, Khaji Da is a merl?” Bart asked in surprise.

“He said that gender doesn’t make sense and he doesn’t see the point or really care, and since most people would look at that and refer to him as a prinze that ‘prinze’ is ‘acceptable’.”

Bart blinked. “Huh. So in other words his gender is-”

“-‘I don’t care’,” Jaime said, finishing Bart’s sentence.

“Good to know. And this doesn’t change the fact that I think both of you are hot.”

Jaime blushed at that and resolutely tried to ignore how smug Khaji Da was about the fact that he was blushing. He knew that ideally he should let Ángel know he was out of the tub (and that Bart was there so Ángel could act as a ‘chaperone’ of sorts), but the three of them were alone together so rarely that Jaime couldn’t quite bring himself to end their solitude yet. _‘I am going to get into so much trouble.’_

[ _Negative. The only ‘trouble’ that could come would have to be the result of the Ángel Hárvarðr informing someone else that this incident occurred. The Ángel Hárvarðr is more loyal to us than to anyone else in the palace. Assessment: the Ángel Hárvarðr will say nothing._ ]

“ _Thank_ you Khaji Da,” Jaime said in a tone that may as well have been a clear ‘please _stop_.’ He started to drift away from the screen and more toward the center of the room, at a bit of a loss for how to dissipate his feelings of awkwardness.

Bart followed, his eyes on Jaime’s back. He considered carefully; a shirtless Jaime would be one hell of a sight to behold, but he wasn’t sure just how much he could get away with. After a moment or two of watching Jaime turn up the brightness of a few oil-lamps he said, “Hey Jaime? Can I ask something? Well, it’s more like asking both of you but… you know what I mean.”

“Ask away,” Jaime answered without looking to Bart. He was hoping the increased brightness would help tone down the sense of it being late and of things between the two of them being a little overly-close.

“Can I… Can I _see_ Khaji Da? I mean, on your back? I just… I know the two of you showed me before and all that, but that was more of a brief glance. You know? And I guess I feel like… like I should at least _know_ how he looks beyond that and not just as a vague memory of a ‘bug’ on your back.” Bart fidgeted as he spoke. He knew how forward the request was, and chances were that if anyone else found out about it there would be a lot of squawking about the ‘impropriety’ of it, but it just didn’t seem right to him to not know what one of his future-husbands (partners?) looked like aside from their armored form.

Jaime was surprised about the request and his first impulse was to refuse on the basis of propriety, but Bart had a point. At the moment they were alone and it wasn’t like Bart exactly got to see Khaji Da on an everyday basis. There were some things that just felt like they _shouldn’t_ be left as a surprise; and with how he and Khaji Da were fused… [ _Khaji Da?_ ]

[ _This is acceptable,_ ] he answered. Normally Khaji Da was (justifiably) downright paranoid about who was allowed to see him and under what circumstances, but apparently like Jaime he saw little point in trying to ‘hide’ from Bart.

“Okay,” Jaime breathed before looking at Bart. “Just for a little bit. Just… nothing weird?”

“I promise I am not going to do anything weird to the two of you,” Bart said with an amused sincerity.

“Okay,” Jaime said again. He moved so that his back would have better lighting and hesitated for a moment, worrying his lower lip. He wanted to trust Bart with this, he did! He was just… nervous. Trying to force his uncertainty aside, Jaime untied his robe and hesitantly slid it off his shoulders and down his arms— stopping when the neckline of the robe was right below Khaji Da.

Bart drew closer to get a better look and Jaime heard him give a sharp intake of breath in amazement. “Wow…”

Jaime didn’t know quite how to take that. “…Is that a good thing or bad thing?”

“You’re fine. You’re both fine—well you’re both beautiful as hell, but that’s beside the point,” Bart said in reassurance. The compliment made Jaime blush, but it was a good thing. After a moment the speedster asked, “Khaji Da, can I touch you?”

That Bart had asked Khaji Da rather than him, even though the answer would be relayed through him, struck Jaime as oddly sweet. Even though they shared the same body, Bart was respecting the fact that they were separate people. Jaime would be lying if he said that didn’t give him butterflies.

[ _Inform the Bart Allen that would be acceptable._ ]

“He says you can touch him,” Jaime said before adding, “And thank you for asking him. I know he won’t say much about it, but it’s appreciated anyway.”

Bart was beaming. “Well it’d be pretty lousy of me not to ask. And touching people without permission? Rude.” 

Jaime couldn’t help the amused smile that tugged at his lips.

Bart reached forward, his fingers delicately tracing over Khaji Da’s carapace as he drank in every detail he could see or feel. Khaji Da’s blue was a bright blue that Bart hadn’t really seen before in his life; it was the sort of blue he could get lost in. Separations, thin gaps in the armor of Khaji Da’s smooth surface were faintly limned in a black that only served to make the blue look brighter. If he looked closely enough Bart could see different gradients to the blue in different spots, subtle variations that his fingers tracing in looping swirls and patterns. Inevitably his attention shifted from the perfect and stunning blue of Khaji Da’s main body to his ‘legs’—and how he was connected into Jaime’s back. 

Where previously Bart had thought Khaji Da had looked like he had a partial grip on Jaime’s flesh— not quite piercing the skin— he could see now there was nothing partial about it. Khaji Da’s ‘legs’ went _through_ the skin, his ‘mandibles’ barely visible in outline beneath the flesh and clearly hooked into Jaime’s spine. There were clearly multiple holes in Jaime’s back, the injuries having long since sealed around Khaji Da’s various points of connection. Part of him felt for just a split-second that he should be horrified, but Bart knew… Jaime had _agreed_ to this. There was nothing about the connection between Jaime and Khaji Da that was involuntary. Yes, it looked a little unsettling, but it wasn’t horrifying.

Bart’s fingers traced along one of Khaji Da’s ‘legs,’ stopping before he would have reached the point where Khaji Da’s not-quite-metal met Jaime’s flesh. “When the two of you fused… did it hurt?” he asked quietly.

“Some,” Jaime admitted. He didn’t say that it was some of the worst pain he had ever experienced. “Not as bad as it could have been, but a lot of that probably had to do with the fact that Khaji Da wasn’t in a rush when it happened.”

“So the two of you agreed to this before you were fused?” Bart was confused. He could readily grasp the idea of Khaji Da sharing Jaime’s body and able to communicate directly into his mind, and he could grasp the idea that they could switch out control and Khaji Da could communicate in that way, but for some reason the idea of Khaji Da being able to communicate without a host in a way that could have led to their agreement was difficult for Bart to conceive of.

“It’s a pretty complicated story,” Jaime said as he glanced over his shoulder at the speedster. “And not one that I can really explain in detail before you have to head back to your rooms.”

“Oh, right,” Bart said, a faint blush tingeing his cheeks. It wasn’t that he interpreted Jaime’s comment as a rebuke, but more of a reminder that it was _late_ and that certain people would find the situation they were in absolutely scandalous. Reluctantly pulling his hand away from Khaji Da’s smooth surface (and resolutely not giving into the temptation to touch the bare skin of Jaime’s back), he asked, “Another time then?”

Jaime smiled as he shrugged his robe back on. “That sounds like a plan.”

“I should go,” Bart said awkwardly, not wanting to leave.

“I know,” Jaime agreed, not wanting Bart to leave. He walked his husband-to-be to the door and paused with his door on the handle. “Goodnight?”

Bart considered for a moment before pressing a quick kiss to Jaime’s cheek. He wanted to do more, but it didn’t feel like the right moment. “…That was for both of you,” he said with gentle smile, “Goodnight.” A moment later he’d slipped out and was gone.

Jaime’s hand drifted up to his cheek in a stunned silence.

[ _Jaime Reyes, reminder: breathe._ ]

Jaime didn’t bother fighting the love-struck smile that crept onto his face.

When Ángel came in through the still-open door they raised an eyebrow at his expression and his open-hanging robe. “I take it, Your Majesty, visits from your betrothed are to be encouraged?”

Jaime sputtered for a moment before he was able to collect himself and wrapped his robe a little more tightly. “We-well, maybe not so _late_. I mean, it wasn’t all that late, but maybe not when it’s late and I’m in the—”

Ángel looked decidedly amused and closed the door. “Encouraged when the three of you can get away with it then.”

Suddenly there was that thoughtful drumming sensation around Jaime’s spine; Jaime almost wanted to groan. [ _Query: the Ángel Hárvarðr is implying they would help us keep ‘scandalous’ visits like this one secret. Does this extend to greater involvement?_ ]

Jaime didn’t even need any images to flash through his mind to know what Khaji Da was hinting at as he turned about as red as was humanly possible. “ _Oh my GOD! Khaji Da! Shut up!_ ”


End file.
